Waters Group

Following the success of the Stone Show in London in April, when Waters Group took full advantage of the extra space it had available to it, the team is now looking forward to continuing that success at Verona – and it is a bigger team.

Managing Director Nicola Waters says: “The Stone Show in London in April saw really positive footfall on the Waters Group stands, leading to an increase of staff on the sales and warehouse side.”

She says: “Capital investment has gone through the roof. A lot of customers are expanding, not just replacing machinery. They are so busy they don’t even want to stop for training on the new machines they have bought.”

Waters works with some of the industry’s key manufacturers and Verona offers the company’s customers a great opportunity to get to know the manufacturers better.

“We are expecting a very strong finish to a great year that has been one to be proud of,” says Nicola. “We have 30 years of experience, a great group of companies we partner, and a real interest in our customers’ businesses – that’s what sets us apart.”

Waters Group will be alongside waterjet company Flow at Marmomacc, where there will be a demonstration of the Mach 3b featuring UltraPierce.

UltraPierce is unique to Flow. It uses vacuum assist to protect even the most extremely brittle or delicate materials from chipping on piercing. This technology is key to the place Flow waterjets have found in UK and Irish stone companies, says Waters Group.

But waterjets can cut a wide range of materials and are used in many industries, which means there are Flow machines across the country that can be visited by stone processors in order to explore the possibilities of these machines. However, a good place to start your exploration of waterjet potential is the Flow stand in Verona.

And when you buy Flow it is all Flow. The company makes the pumps, the mechanics, the cutting system and the software.

The software is, of course, central to the operation of most machinery and in Verona Flow will be demonstrating its all-new FlowXpert 2015. Flow proclaims that this is the world’s first fully integrated 3D modelling and waterjet pathing software package.

Another of the ranges sold by Waters Group is Montresor edge polishers. Montresor has more than 50 years’ experience of developing and manufacturing edge polishers and you will be able to see the latest results of all that know-how at Marmomaccc in Verona.

The Lola 601, the same model that was on Waters Group stand in London drawing comments about its robust, heavy duty, easy to use nature, will be on show again. This time it will be alongside a Luna 740-S, which polishes straight and round edges.

Montresor always runs the machinery it exhibits in Verona, so you will be able to see for yourself the premium quality of it and the finish it produces. And if you really want to test it you are welcome to bring along material you have found particularly difficult – Montresor is not shy about accepting public challenges. Nicola: “There’s a challenge to take around Verona with you!”

The Montresor options list is huge, including profiling, calibration and honing, drip tray, bush hammering, jointing and V grooving of mitres. All of this is tried and tested technology and customers are always welcomed at the factory near Verona to run trials on any materials and work the machinery themselves.

Particular features of the machines include a sliding assembly on the first upper and lower bevelling heads on the Lola 601. This allows you to produce precise bevels on slabs of irregular thickness.

A duplex system of electro-mechanically adjusted vertical pressure rollers with a double row of wheels exert vertical pressure on the workpiece so the slab adheres uniformly to the belt for smooth work travel.

For bullnose edges on any stock from 15mm to 60mm thick stock, there is the Luna 740-S. The sturdy machined steel structure has an integrated electrical cabinet and a 10in full colour touch screen control panel. It has 1kW brushless motors and a balanced spring system minimising maintenance. As a particular feature, the machine has a group of three oscillating units at the exit side that can work at 0-45° to double the production speed on pencil rounds, half bullnoses and straight or angled flat edges.

Then there are the Cobalm CNC saws and workcentres that Waters Group now sells. Waters’ sales of Cobalms have got off to a positive start with multiple machine orders from across the UK.

The Integra is a quality monobloc CNC bridge saw priced at just over £50,000 including delivery, installation and training. Put this with the Cobalm Idea Top multi purpose CNC machining centre and you are looking at a powerful workshop combination.

And with two, fully trained and approved Cobalm engineers covering the UK and Ireland there should be minimum downtime if anything does go wrong.

Nicola: “The Waters Group experience of Cobalm is all positive – responsive and effective support; knowledgeable and motivated staff with a wealth of knowledge.

“Cobalm’s range is extensive – anything from an entry level bridge saw or multi-purpose machine to fully automated five axes integrated machining centres. Or maybe a machine for engraving? Visit their stands in Verona and judge for yourself.”